Metatron's Cube: origin of the design, Platonic solids and modern claims
Metatron's Cube is a figure of thirteen circles joined by lines, popularised in the 1990s. What it actually depicts, the Platonic solids, and the link with the archangel Metatron.
Key points
| Shape | Thirteen equal circles whose centres are joined by straight lines |
|---|---|
| Base | The “Fruit of Life”, derived from the Flower of Life |
| Name | Modern, popularised in the West in the 1990s |
| Archangel | Metatron, a figure in Jewish Hekhalot literature and the Talmud |
| Platonic solids | Five regular polyhedra whose flat projections appear in the drawing |
| Nature of the figure | A flat drawing: it is not a cube in volume |
| Ancient source | No ancient Jewish text describes this figure |
What is Metatron's Cube?
“Metatron's Cube” is a geometric drawing: take thirteen equal circles (one at the centre, six around it, six beyond), join the centre of each circle to all the others with straight lines, and you obtain a network of lines in which all sorts of figures can be found. The name is misleading: the drawing is flat, it is not a cube. It does, however, contain the outline of a cube seen in perspective (a hexagon crossed by Y-shaped lines).
The thirteen circles are the thirteen-element version of the Flower of Life, often called the “Fruit of Life”. The whole has become very popular on tattoos, jewellery and posters.
Who is Metatron?
Metatron is an angel of Jewish mystical literature. He appears in the Talmud (tractate Hagigah, 15a), where he is an exceptional being permitted to sit. In the book of 3 Enoch (also called Sefer Hekhalot, written around the 5th–6th century), the patriarch Enoch, who “walked with God” in Genesis, is said to have been taken up to heaven and transformed into Metatron.
The origin of his name is debated: proposals include the Greek meta thronon (“beside the throne”), the Latin metator (“guide”) and other etymologies. For his full profile, see the archangel Metatron.
A modern figure
Nothing indicates that ancient Jewish texts described a drawing of thirteen circles. The motif was linked to Metatron in New Age literature of the 1990s, notably in the books of Drunvalo Melchizedek, who also popularised the Flower of Life. The link with Metatron rests on numbers and symbolic analogies (the thirteenth circle, the archangel's place beside the throne), not on an ancient source.
This is a contemporary construction and should be taken as such. You can love it without inventing a pedigree for it.
The Platonic solids: what is true
The five Platonic solids are the only convex polyhedra whose faces are all identical regular polygons and whose vertices are all alike. Euclid proved that there are no others (Elements, Book XIII).
| Solid | Faces | Association in Plato's Timaeus |
|---|---|---|
| Tetrahedron | 4 triangles | Fire |
| Cube | 6 squares | Earth |
| Octahedron | 8 triangles | Air |
| Icosahedron | 20 triangles | Water |
| Dodecahedron | 12 pentagons | The whole, the cosmos |
It is often said that Metatron's Cube “contains” the five Platonic solids. It is true that, by choosing certain lines, one can draw flat projections of each of them. But these are outlines of solid shapes, which can also be found in many other figures: the drawing is not a solid, and the choice of lines belongs to the person who makes it.
What the history of geometry adds
Plato (4th century BCE) associated four solids with the four elements. In the 16th century, Johannes Kepler imagined that the orbits of the six planets then known fitted inside the five solids (Mysterium Cosmographicum, 1596). The theory proved false, but it led Kepler towards his laws.
These stories are genuine pages in the history of science. They show that geometry has always inspired images of the world, without those images being physical truths.
Modern uses
- Jewellery, pendant, tattoo, poster: the motif is valued for its symmetry.
- Meditation on geometry: drawing the figure with compass and ruler.
- Maths lessons: how many lines? which figures? which symmetries?
- Rituals of some contemporary esoteric groups, with their own readings.
No protective or energetic effect has been demonstrated. In our ranges, this motif appears in jewellery and décor; see our pendants and points, spheres and figurines.
Common mistakes
- “Metatron's Cube is an ancient kabbalistic symbol”: false, the figure is modern.
- “It contains the structure of the universe”: this is a spiritual claim, not a measurement.
- “The figure's waves heal”: there is no evidence, and it replaces no treatment.
- “Metatron is an archangel recognised by all religions”: mystical Judaism knows him; the Catholic Church does not count him among the archangels named in Scripture.
Frequently asked questions
Why “Metatron's Cube”?
Because the motif was linked to the archangel Metatron by New Age authors in the 1990s. This link is not in the ancient texts.
Does it contain the five Platonic solids?
Flat projections of each of them can be found in it, but the drawing is flat, and this identification depends on the lines chosen.
Who is Metatron?
An angel of the Jewish mystical tradition, sometimes identified with Enoch transformed, mentioned in the Talmud and in 3 Enoch.
Is it linked to Kabbalah?
Not in the classic Kabbalah texts. The association is modern.
Is it a lucky charm?
This has not been demonstrated. It is a geometric and symbolic motif, to be appreciated for its beauty.
Also read
The meanings mentioned belong to tradition and symbolism. They are neither promises of results nor medical advice. Back to Symbol dictionary.